Lubricating system.



'PATENTBD MAR. 26; 1907.

G.. GROWELL, DEGD.

J. H. GROWELL, nxnouwmx. LUBRIGATING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.10,1904.

PATENTED MAR. 26,

/ sauna-sum 2.

G. GROWELL, DEGD. J n onownm. EXEOETTEIX LUBRIOATING SYSTEM.

APBLIUATION IE'ILBD 1220.10, 1904.

INVENTOH Ge fulfil-(Powell ATTORNEY '40 generating meansto keep {a lubricating agent in circulation through the bearings tion.

IT D PA EN o -Frca;

GH l/IER' oRoWELn-oiqf RooKLYN, NEW YORK; JANE ExEoUTRIX-jQEsAID-Gnmj QRQWELLNDEGEAS'ED'E 1 i To all whom it mag concern.- 4' I Be it known that I, GILMER CBOWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing" at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings andState T of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricatingf systerms, of which the following ijsi'aspecifica- This' invention relates to lubricating de' vices, and particularly-to means for providing a circulation of'the lubricatin agent from asuitable storage-reservoir tot e bear ings of a machine and backto said reservoir,

whereby a certain volume of saidagent may be used again and again with practically no waste and without loss of operatives time.

p I have particularly in mind means for properly lubricating the bearings ofair-pumps of the rotary type designed to create either a pressure or a vacuum in which I employ a current ofair to provide a vehicle to carry the lubricating agent 'tothe bearin s and back to the storage-chamberl Such evices generally, require thorough lubrication, not positive y insured whereLgra'vity alone is depended upon to causethe-oil or other agent to reach the bearing-surfaces. *{I do not claim,

broadly, the idea-f'of em loying force other than gravity in a genera system of lubrica-.

tion, asit is undoubtedly old in the art toutilize-a separate device or machine to drive the oil under pressure to .the bearing-surfaces of the machinery ;--but heretofore a separate machine ordevice has-- beengemployedfor a this purpose, -while myfl-invention. contemplates a machine whats automatically'selfubricating in itself, particularly a machine adapted to store energyfer specific p oses in which a portion of thez'available pro ace energyjis utilized Without extraneouspowerthe machine. .-,.v

The present inventiolf is' th e result. of an elflfort to provide for proper? lubrication for t e rot ent of theUnited States 'Nos. 475;3fif and 475,302, and in proceedin td-describe" a practical and convenientem odiment of the invention I shall for thejpurp'oses of thisde scri tion consider it as applied to a machine of t e tlyl pe set forth in said Letters Patent, althoug it will be a'pparentthat the princi- .-.zspecificationofLettei-s Patent. 1 Application filed December 10,1904; Slerial Ko- 236,312.

air pun'ipsor compressors shown, describe and claimed'bymeiin Letters Pat-.

'33 3' of F1g-.-2.

:ples involved maybe with equal success apof energy or power, economy of cost ofequip- .ment on app 'cation, economy of lubricating rem tted March 2e,1eo7."'-

material, and economyof time of workmen,

and, for the construction and operation. With the above and other. ends invention consists generally in a machine adapted primarily or incidentally to 'stor'e ener portlon of-the energy store convey a predetermined quantity of the lubricatin agent tov the bearings of the ma chine. iy invention further consists in sake of economy, simplicityof inviewmy I and means for emplo 'ngat least'a to positively novel means for maintaining a circulation of i the lubricating agent from and to a suitable the bearing-surfaces of the machine. a

' My invention further and particularly consists in the combination, with an air-cornstorage chamber or reservoir andvincluding pressor, of an oiL-container to which the of' parts, all as hereinafter described, and v particularly pointed out in the claims.

My invention will-be more readily under stood by reference to the accompanylng.

1 Figure Lie asejctional cnd elevationofa machine embodying m -invention substantially on thefline 1 1 o Fig. 2. 2 is a. central longitudinal section of the same,

hereinafter d x Referring now to prefer to mount the entire devlce upon a suitthe drawings in detail, I

able supporting-base 5, to which is'secured t the parts making up the compressing-cylim der. These parts comprise the substan- ,plied to other and different-forms of m chineryz' 1 i My primary object is economy economy y me Fig; 3-is a section substantially on the line 1 is adetaill'n perspective escn ed "tially similar heads 6 and 7, each provided .othersuitab with its annular chamber 8 and 9, respec tivel to contain water in circulation for the" usua purpose of cooling the working parts. These headsprovide bearings for the shaft the pulley 11 thereon or in any e manner, the head 6 being preferably provided with the packing-box 12, in which theusua-l packing may be subjected to the proper pressure by means of the screw. threaded cap 13, apertured for the shaft, acting against the member 14. The other head 7, through which the shaft extends, is provided with a cap 15, hermetically sealing the journal-box'at this end of the device.

The annular member 16, which with the 10, driven by -heads 6 and 7 completes the compression- .cylinder, may be secured to said heads in any axial center of the shaft and theinterior face of the annular member 16'. When this member 17 is properly mounted within the chamber ofthe cylinder, a crescent-shaped space 18 is provided. The cylindrical member 17 1provided with four radially and rectanarly disposed slots substantially dividing 1 said member into quadrants, opposite slots being connected by a pair of bores extending transversely through the shaft, the bores of.

each pair being non-intersecting with those of the other. Loosely fitted within each slot is a free piston 19 of substantially the same dimensions as the slot, having a limited sliding radial movement therein and rotating with said m'ember'17.- I prefer to provide each piston with a acking-strip 20, consistmg 0 a cylindrical y-sha ed rod free within a correspondingly-shape groove projecting slightl therefrom and having a substantia ly at face 21, adapted to slide against the interior face of the annular "member 16. Spacer-rods 22, identical in shape and dimensions, are interposed between opposite pistons through the bores referred to, preferably abuttin against hardened face-plates 23, interpose between the ends. of said rods. and the faces of the pistons.

I have referred to the chamber provided by the annular member 16 as not being of circular bore. The interior confi ration of this chamber is such that while t shaft 10 is located eccentric thereto the-diameter of the chamber through the axis of the shaftis constant. If'we'consider the shaft as 10- cated, as shown, on the vertical axis of the chamber, the upper half of said chamber is bored to a true circle or is semicylindrical from a true center C. A horizontal line through the off center C will therefore intersect the face of the member 16 atpoints equidistant from point C; If this ima inary line is rotated about said off center C with the original left end thereof constantly in contact with the semicircular face above said off center C, the other end of said line will describe the curve of the lower half of the bore of said chamber. The distances between the fiat faces of the packing-strips in o posite pistons being constant, even though t ey rotate about an off center, said packingstri s will therefore be constantly in contact wit the wall of the chamber.

It will be apparent that clockwise rotation of the shaft from the position indicated in. Fig. 3 will result in the formation of a chamber which gradually increases in size until the member 17, and therewith the pistons, have rotated through an arc of one hundred and eighty degrees, after which said chamber gradually decreases in size until the starting position is reached. If we provide an inlet-. ort to the cylinder, located to open the sma er chamber to the atmosphere immediately after formation thereof, and kee the same open to the atmosphere until sai chamber has reached its maximum size, air will bedrawn into said chamber, which if confined within said chamber at this point will be subjected to. cbmpression upon; continued rotation. of saidl member 16, and may be discharged with considerable force through any suitable outlet-port. I therefore provide a groove 24, located substantially nudway of the ends of thecylinder and extend ing fromv a oint near the intersection of the vertical axis to a oin-t just be ond intersection of the horizontal axis t rough the shaft. Communicatin with this roove is the port 25, to which any preferred form of connection is adapted to be secured, open to the atmosphere 111 case the device is intended to be used as a compressor an'd communicating with the chamber from which it is desired to exhaust the air in case the derice is intended to be used as a vacuum-pump. A similar groove 26 is similarly located in the opposite wall of the cylinder, with a simllar ort 27 communicating therewith.

reating the device as an air-compressor,

for which purpose it is primarily designed, have shown a pipe 28 communicating w th this last-mentioned port .27 and PIOJGCtlIlg into a preferabl cylindrical receptacle or reservoir 29. Tfie end of this pipe within said receptacle is closed, while an annular row of a ertures 30 is provided communicatmg wit the interior of said receptacle.

too

From the' bottom of said receptacle leads a duct 31, having a branch 32, leading to the grooved channel 37, adapted during each complete revolution of themember 17 to register once with the. groove. intersecting the groove 37 and leading therefrom to the outer edge of the piston is the groove 38. The other branch 39 of the duct 31 similarly leads to a similar groove 33 in the journal-bearin sv of the head 7. This bearing-surface is sirni arly provided with the opposite groove 34 and the annular connecting-groove 35'. A similar radial groove 36 in the head 7, which may or may not relatively correspond in location or inclination with the groove 36, similarly communicates with identical grooves 37 and 38 at the opposite end of each )iston.

When the machine is in operation, air is taken in through the port and forced un der pressure through the pi e 28 and the apertures 30 30 therein into t e chamber 40 above the level of the lubricating fluid there- 1n. Leading from this chamber is the pipe 41 to conduct the air under pressure to any desired point of'application. It will be apparent that there will always be air in the chamber 40 under pressure equal to that in the pipe 28, which pressure, acting against the lubricating fluid, forces a portion thereof constantly through the pipe 31 and its -diyided branches 32 and 39, driving the fluid into the grooves 33 and 33, respectively. From these grooves 33 and 33 the fluid'is driven through the annular grooves 35'and- 35 1nto the grooves 34 and 34, respectively,

thus insurin thorough lubrication of the bearings of t .e shaft. From the inner ends of the grooves 33 and 33 the'oil or lubricatmg fluid enters the radial grooves 36 and 36, respectlvely, insuring lubrication of the contaet-surfaces between the member'17 and the heads 6 and 7, respectively. Asexplained, once during each revolution of said member 17 each of the pistons pass points where.. the

ends of the grooves 37 and 37 thereinregister with the grooves 36 and 36', respectively;

At these points, therefore, the oil is driven by.

, compression into the connecting grooves37 and 38 at one end of said piston and the similar grooves 3 7-and 38 at the other vend thereof. Through these grooves 38 and 38 the oil reaches the circular wall of; thecylinder, thoroughly lubricating the friction-sur facebetween the" piston and the cylinder.-

Having reached the interior of the cylinder.

and being dischar ed into the expanding and contracting chambers, the oil is atomizedby the pressure and thebeating it receives from the rapidl -revo1ving pistons and in its atom;

ized condition is carried by the discharging air-current up the pipe 28 and through the.

apertures 30 30 in the end thereof. The closed end of said pipe 28 within the chamber I 40 and the projection of the final dischar econduit 41 into said chamber causes a eonthe walls within the chamber 40, where it" accumulates, maintaining a comparatively constant supply therein, to be again and again circulated.

It will be obvious that the prlnciples 1nvolved in the'present invention may be ap-.

plied with success to various ty es of machines for various purposes and t atm such application the means emp o edfor carrying such rinciples into practica use would necessari y modifications. Even in its application to an air-com ressor of the rotary type, as described lierein, many modifications of the details of construction and operation doubt- Having thus described myiinvention, I-

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters 5 Patent-r '1. The combination, with an air -pump,'.o f an oil reservoir through WhlOh' the comressed air is deflected, and. anuoilw'ay lead:

be subjectto various changes and 111g from said-reservoir to the compressionchamber through the bearings of the machine. y

'2. The combination, with an air-pump and its discharge-conduit, of a sealed oil-reservoir'in said conduit through which the 'comressed airisdeflected, and an oilway leading f rom said-reservoir to and terminating in the com ressi'ng-ehamber, said oilway includ ng the earings of the machine. Y th an air com- L.

3. The 1 comb'na'tion, w1

pressor and its discharge-conduit, of asealed I with said con-- 'duit, and anoilwayfromsai reservoir having ,br nchesleadingdireetto the bearings of the machine and therefrom'to and terminating; .in'the compressing-chamber. s

The combination, with anair-pump, of anoil-reservoir, a

oil-reservoir 'eommunicatin ipe from the com ress1ngchamber leading tli ipeleading therefrom, and suitable oilways eading from said reservoir to and te'rminatincluding the earings of the machine.

von' located in said conduit and communis.

ereinto, a final dlscharge- I a 1 2 5 in'ginthe com ressingchamber,-sai d oilwa s- .5. .ThecombinatiQ' with an airrpu p aiidi 1 its discharge-conduit, ofa sealed loil-res'e'r p catin'g therewith, an open oilway l'eading discharge-pipe leading from said reservoir,

. and suitable oil-ducts leading from said res- 'ervoir to the nompressing-chamber through the bearingsof the machine.

7. The combination with the compressingchamber of an air-pump and its dlschargepipe, of an oil-reservoir within which the discharge-pipe terminates, an airipe leading 'froin the reservoir, oilways leading from the reservoir through the bearings of the ma chine to the compressing-chamber, means for forcing the oil with air from the'compressing-chamber through the dischargepipe into the reservoir, and means for causng the separation of the oil frorn'the air within the reservoir.

- 8. The combination with the compressingchamber of an air-pump and its dischargepipe, of ari-oil-reservoir within which the dis charge-pipe terminates, an air-pipe leading from the reservoir, oilways leading from the reservoir through the bearings of the machine to the compressing-chamber, means for forcing the oil with air from the com- 5 pressing chamber into the discharge ipe and means for deflecting the air and oil om eaaaae 'the'discharge-pipe against the walls of the reservoir toeiiec't their separation.

9. In an air-compressor, the combination of a cylinder provided with bearings, o1lducts leading from said hearings to the inner faces of'the ends of the cylinder, a shaft journaled in said bearings, sliding ducts leading from the sides of said pistons to their outer ends, said ducts being arranged to register with those in the ends of the cylinder when the shaft is rotated, an oil-reservoir, and ducts leading from said reservoir to those in the bearings.

I 10. In an air-compressor, the combination I of a cylinder provided with bearings, 0ilducts leading from said bearings to the inner faces of the ends of the cylinder, a shaft journaled in said bearings, slidin pistons carried by the shaft within the cy inder, oil-ducts leading from the sides of said pistons to their outer ends, said ducts being arranged to register with those in the ends of the cylinder when the shaft is rotated, whereby the oil will pass from the ends of the pistonsinto the cylinder, an oil-reservoir, ducts leading from said reservoir to those in the bearings, 'a duct leading from the cylinder to the reservoir for conveying oil: and air thereto, and 'means for effecting the separation of the oil and air within the reservoir.

. In testimony of the foregoing I have here-- istons' carried by the shaft within the cylin er, oil-- unto set my hand in the presence of two sub- 7 I scribing witnesses.

. GILMER OROWELL. Witnesses E. R. HINDS,

FRANK. T. MURRAY. 

